Abstract
The microstructure of the as-quenched plate martensite in a high-C steel 100Cr6 was characterized by means of electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. The carbon redistribution behavior was investigated at the atomic scale, which revealed the nature of the transformation dynamics influenced by carbon and other substitutional alloying elements. A model was proposed to predict the carbon redistribution at twins and dislocations in martensite, which was based on their spatial arrangements.
Highlights
As one of the most widely used bearing steel in the manufacturing, transportation and construction industry, 100Cr6 has been extensively investigated in the last few decades
It consists of a ferritic matrix with spheroidized carbides, which was indicated by their bright contrast in the additional scanning electron microscope (SEM) image
The results show that the transition in martensite structures from laths to plates can occur as a result of the higher strain energy accommodated by twins, making them more effective in allocating higher carbon additions
Summary
As one of the most widely used bearing steel in the manufacturing, transportation and construction industry, 100Cr6 has been extensively investigated in the last few decades. Martensitic and/or bainitic microstructures are frequently employed during its application. Bearing steels are exposed to extreme conditions throughout their lifetime and suffer from rolling contact fatigue. Damage builds up below the contact surface and results in detrimental microstructural changes, such as dark etching regions, white etching regions or white etching areas. Understanding the microstructure of the as-quenched martensite in high-C steels is crucial for optimizing the behavior of high-performance components, such as bearings, as it constitutes the initial conditions for proceeding elemental partitioning and precipitation during tempering. Most research has been focused either on the microstructure during applications or on the engineering problem itself. The importance of research on the as-quenched martensite has been neglected in the last few decades and our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of the as-quenched microstructure remains unclear
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